By Ifeoma Ejiofor
Youths from different local government areas of Ebonyi State on Saturday gathered at Geneza Hotels, Onwe Road, Abakaliki for one day workshop powered by the Center For Strategic Leadership and Youth Orientation (CENSTLEYO).
The workshop which commenced as early as 8.00am had ‘Youths have values, youths have strength’ as the theme.
In his welcome address, the Ebonyi State Co-ordinator of CENSTLEYO, Aligube Raphael Uchenna noted that the program was put together to help participants rediscover themselves and get necessary trainings that would help them to positively impact the society.
He urged the participants to look beyond immediate and short time gains but to be conscious of the overall good of Ebonyi State.
Being a useful youth to the society according Uchenna is more valuable with inexhaustible benefits, strength and satisfaction to the discerning persons.
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CENSTLEYO Mr Imah Felix Emeka used the opportunity of the seminar to explain the principle, mission and vision of the group to Ebonyi youths.
Mr Emeka said that CENSTLEYO is setting up a center where youths can rub minds and get empowered for the ultimate purpose of transforming the society.
He said that CENSTLEYO is very passionate about making youths to be stakeholders in the society rather being reduced to beneficiaries who eat crumbs from the master’s tables.
The CENSTLEYO’s CEO noted that time has come for youths to begin to take seriously the lyrics of the National Anthem and see the anthem as a call to duty.
Mr Imah Felix Emeka said that it is only when the youths are actively responsible that the vision of having a youth driven corrupt free society will be realizable.
The Project Director of CENSTLEYO, Comrade Uche Madubuko who presented a paper on ‘Learning process to activate youth synergy for youth development’ said that young people must be focused and begin to create space for themselves because the old order will not willingly let go.
Comrade Madubuko likened CENSTLEYO’s activities to social evangelization aimed at putting the youth on the right track to actually become leaders of today and tomorrow as well.
He said that youths will not be taken seriously if they fail to bring value to the table during discussion on issues that affect them.
“The road for any youth to achieve his or her dream is bedeviled by all manner of huddles of negativities which must be overcome before any breakthrough can be recorded. The task at hand is daunting but with courage, we have the strength to transform the society.” He concluded.
A participant, Ogbuinya Sylvia E. said that the empowerment workshop was timely as many things are going wrong in governance and youths are the eventual victims of maladministration.
She recalled how Ebonyi State governor, Chief Dave Umahi decieved the people of the state by telling them that each graduate in the state would get a million Naira grant for their businesses only for him to turn round and started distributing less than ten thousand Naira to his ‘boys’
Over two hundred Ebonyi youths participated in the workshop.